Do Clothes Help Make the President?

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PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

“Clothes make the man.” - Proverb

Probably about 40 years ago, given some internal staff disagreement, I as medical director conducted an informal survey of patients at both a public and a private clinic as far as their preference for how their male psychiatrists dressed. In general, the public patients preferred their psychiatrists to wear a dress shirt, tie, and sports jacket, whereas the private patients seemed comfortable with more informal dressing. Hardly any mentioned the white coat that other physicians wear.

My wife is a fashion designer, so some of my interest likely comes from her fashion sense. She also believes that fashion can be an art form.

Perhaps as a reflection of some sexism, attention is being paid more and more to how Vice President Harris is dressing as the Democratic presidential nominee. Immediately after the Democratic National Convention (DNC), several mainstream media sources published articles on how she dressed. Occasionally, brief comments would also be made about past President Trump, including his broad shouldered dark suits and long red tie, so-called “Republican Red.”

The New York Times article on August 23, “Kamala Harris, Outfitting a New Era,” noted that for her closing convention speech, that she did not join the many female delegates who were wearing white in a nod back to when women got the vote and to what Hillary Clinic wore at the DNC in 2015.¹ Rather, she wore one of her common styled pantsuits, but the color was navy blue. One conclusion was what she wore, like her speech, was not identity based, but conveying “a new way forward” politically. On the first day of the convention, her tan suit elicited wondering if that was supposed to reflect her skin color.

Recently, on the other hand, a The Free Press article noted a different fashion trend, “The Young Catholic Women Bringing Back Veils.”² As an update on tradition, the veils may be an expression of dignity and connection to God.

Much research exists on how individuals make snap judgments about the other by what they initially see and hear, the appearance and the voice. That translates into recommendations to both dress in a way appropriate for the situation and that also reflects one’s personality. That even translates into video games where the players choose their characters appearance.

Instead of the traditional proverb that “clothes make the man,” in the presentation of Kamala Harris at the DNC, was it that she made her clothes an outfit of power, authority, and competence, so that her nomination was making the clothes convey a new message?

When you dress for your psychiatric work? How do you consider what to wear?

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

References

1. Friedman V. Kamala Harris, outfitting a new era. The New York Times. August 23, 2024. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/style/kamala-harris-dnc-suit.html

2. Kearns M. The young Catholic women bringing back veils. The Free Press. August 25, 2024. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.thefp.com/p/the-young-catholic-women-bringing